Convertible nursery furniture



Feb. 3, 1953 R, BROWN 2,627,298

CONVERTIBLE NURSERY FURNITURE Fil'ed Sept. 19, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET l 2 2T 4 g 8 T- i do J2 FIG I Awe/27hr: Roy WE /"own.

Feb. 3, 1953 w, BRQWN 2,627,298

CONVERTIBLE NURSERY FURNITURE Filed Sept. 19, 1947 2 SHEETSSHEET 2 //2vnfor R 0y W B r0 W12 Patented Feb. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE)CONVERTIBLE NURSERY FURNITURE Roy W.Brown, Brandon, Manitoba, CanadaApplication September 19, 1947, Serial No. 774,914

.1 Claim. 1

My invention relates to nursery furniture, an object of the inventionbeing to provide an article of nursery furniture which is particularlyadapted for small homes, apartments and the like and is convertible to avariety of uses according to the desires of the parents and according tothe age of the child.

Specifically, my article of furniture may be employed as a bassinetteo-r crib either rockable or wheelable, being a low-type chair in whichthe infant may be fed or may play on the tray provided, such chair beingalso either rockable or wheelable, a walker or in other words a devicein which the child may be placed for training in walking, a carriage, a.sleigh, a tea-wagon, or a night or bed table.

A further object is to provide an article of furniture of the characterherewithin described which is of conspicuously simple constructionrendering the same susceptible to merchandising at a low price, andwhich is convertible into the various uses aforesaid quickly and readilywithout anything more than the most rudimentary instruction leaflet orlabel.

With the foregoing objects in view, and such other objects andadvantages as will become apparent to those skilled in the art to whichthis invention relates as this specification proceeds, my inventionconsists essentially in the arrangement and construction of parts all ashere inafter more particularly described, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is a plan view of my article ofnursery furniture.

Figure 2 is a cross-section on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a cross-section on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4. is a fragmentary detail illustrating the manner in which mywheel assembly looking rods engage recesses provided therefor in theassociated guideways.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal vertical cross-section as per Figure 2 of analternative embodiment of my invention.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary underside plan of the central area of theembodiment of Figure 5 illustrating the manner in which the wheelingassemblies may be preserved in the out-of-use position.

In the drawings like characters of reference indicate correspondingparts in the different figures.

My invention comprises a rectangular enclosure collectively designated land comprised of the pair of side walls 2 and end walls 3 and 4. Theforegoing walls are secured to framing members 5 and 6, the lattertaking the form of rockers.

The framing members 5 are of the cross-sec tional configuration bestdepicted in the accompanying Figure 3 and are longitudinally grooved atl to receive at the right-hand end thereof (with respect to theaccompanying Figures 1 and 2) the slidably removable tray 8 bordered bythe flanges 9 and [0. In this connection it is to be noted that thegrooves 1 are open ended or extend from end to end of the framingmembers 5, so that the tray 8 can be slid longitudinally in and out ofthe members 5. A rear horizontal panel portion I I similarly providedwith aflange I2 is positioned to the rear of the back-board It.

The back-board I3 rests via the lower edge thereof on a pair of inclinedslats l4 lying parallel with and adjacent to the side walls 2. Uponthese slats is also supported a seat-board [5 as clearly depicted inFigure 2 from which it will be seen that the back-board may be adjustedas to its position within the enclosure l by means of the transverselyaligned, spaced and diagonally disposed pairs of slots IE, ISA etc.ofwhich pairs of slots as many as desired may be formed in the members5.

A. pair of transversely aligned recesses H are provided in the upperedges of the rockers 6 to receive a removable foot-board l8, and for theamusement of the infant, I secure t6 the side walls 2 and acrossplatform 8, a bead rod [9. It

will be observed from Figure 2 that the upper edge of the foot board l8rests against the vertical side members 2| hereinafter described.

Positioned for vertical sliding movement against the interior surfacesof the end walls 3 and 4, and within guideways 20 formed between theaforesaid end walls and vertical side members 2| secured against sidewalls 2 are wheeling assemblies designated 22. These wheeling assemblieseach consists of a horizontally oblong rectangular frame 23 composed ofthe upper and lower horizontal rails 24 and 25 and the side rails 26.

The aforesaid frame is enclosed by panels 2'! and 28, and positionedwithin the aforesaid frames are means for securing the wheeling.assemblies in retracted or elevated position, or al-' ternatively inprojected position.

The means for maintaining my wheeling assemblies in retracted orprojected position as stated in the immedately preceding paragraphconsists in the provision of a vertical slot 29 in each of the upperrails 24, through which extend the vertically angulated portions 36 ofretractable dogs in the form of oppositely endwise shiftable rods 31normally held outwardly projected by the springs 32 the outer endswhereof are anchored to downwardly projecting eye-bolts 133 secured tothe underside of rail 24, while the inner ends of the aforesaid springsare anchored to the upwardl projecting portions 30.

The upwardly projecting portions 36 terminate in grips 34 for theconvenient manipulation thereof, and it is to be understood that theouter ends of the rods 3| extend through pairs of' aligned apertures 35in the side rails 26. It is to be observed that positioned within theguideways 26 are filler strips 36 as depicted in the accompanying Figure4 having upper and lower apertures 36 and 36 into which the rods 3! maybe projected in the retracted and lowered position of the wheelingassemblies respectively.

Secured for swivelling movement to the rails 25 are castors 31 and fromthe foregoing description it will be understood that upon gripping themembers 34 and squeezing, the rods 31 move inwardly to disengage theassociated wheeling assembly whereby the same may be projected and mydevice elevated above the rockers 6. By reference to Figure 2 it will benoted that sleigh'runners 38 may if desired be secured againstthe underedges of rockers 6 by means-of-the studs 39which extend through blindapertures dilformed in the said rockers.

In view of all theforegoing it will now be explainedthat if it isdesired to use my invention as a bassinette or crib, back-board 13 willberemovedand the seat-board l moved leftd r The ter fo oa d 8 ll be laacross slats 14 at the right-hand endrwith respect to Figure2) ofthe-leftwardly moved seatboard to providefora continuous bed or' panel.Ii it is desired -touse thedevice as a walker, the footrest I8 is,removed, the wheeling assemblies 2 2" are lowered and'the seat-board andbackboard may beremoved or allowed to remain according to choice; Thechild may then stand within the enclosure 1, and'by holding on to thesides, propel the device and thus gain selfinstruction in the art ofwalking.

If it is desired to use my device as a tea wagon, the wheelin assemblieswill be lowered and the back-board l3 removed. Same will thenbe'inserted into slots 1 withthe curved upper edge 41 at therightj-handend (with respect to Figure l). Tray 8 will of course havebeen previously removed, and thereafter re-inserted when it will befound that the curvature of the flange 9- is complementary to that ofedge il so that a continuous table top is provided.

In the accompanyingFigures 5 and 6 I have depicted an alternative mannerof projecting and retracting thewheeling assemblies 2. In thismodification'the guide members 2 i of my first embodiment areeliminated,'the wheeling assemblies being pivoted 11; the upper cornersthereof for rotary movementat the point 43.

Each wheeling assembly may be maintained in the vertical position bymeans of a conventional break-joint brace, M such as is commonlyemployed in connection with bridgetables and the like, and any ofseveral means'may be employed tomaintain the vvheeling'a'ssemblies inthe retracted or horizontal position, such, for example, as therotatable tie-bar 45 one end of which is secured at 46 to one of thewheeling assemblies, the other end being hooked as at 3'! to engage astud 48 on the other wheeling assembly. In all other respects it is tobe understood the embodiment of Figures 5 and 6 is similar to thatdepicted in Figures 1 to 4 inclusive.

In conclusion it may be stated that by turning my device up on one endso that either one of the end walls 3 or 4 constitutes a table top, anight or bed table may be formed, and since various modifications can bemade in my invention as hereinabove described, and many apparentlywidely different embodiments of same made within the spirit and scope ofthe claim without departing from such spirit and scope, it is intendedthat all matter contained in the accompanying specification shall beinterpreted as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim as my invention is:

In an article of furniture of the class described, a vertically walled,horizontally rectangular and oblong enclosure wherein the longer sidewalls are rocker mounted, a pair of wheeling assemblies within saidenclosure, means mounting eachof said wheeling assemblies for retractionwithin, andextension from said enclosure, said assemblies each includinga sub stantially rectangular plate, and a pair of spaced castors securedat the loweredges of each of said plates, said mounting meansenablingsaid wheeling assemblies to be pivotally mounted for rotationbetween the vertical and the horizontal adjacent the lower edgesof theend walls of said enclosure, said wheeling assemblies, in the horizontalposition, being nested in opposition between said end walls; and meansfor maintaining said wheeling assemblies in the retracted positionwithin said enclosure and further meansfor maintainingsaid assembly inthe ex tended positionfrom" said enclosure, said first mentioned meansincluding a rotatable tie-rod secured at one end thereof to one of saidWheeling assembliesand being detachably secured by the other end thereoftothe other of said Wheeling assemblies, said last mentioned meansincluding a i the side walls of said enclosure and said wheelingassemblies.

ROY W. BROWN,

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 142,512 Cronk Oct. 9, 1945935,385 Mason SeptQZB, 1909 1,364,683 Beck Jan. 4, 1921 1,674,741 RosmanJune 26, 1928 2,106,927 Kinnear Feb. 1, '1938 2,397,528 Brandwen Apr. 2,1946 2,415,146 Nanna 14-; Feb. 4, '1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number CountryDate 369,267 Great Britain Mar. 11, 1932 391,303 Great Britain 7 Apr.27, 1933 break-joint brace extending between

